The Legend of Zelda: The Immortal Watcher
by TheWabbajackX
Summary: (Slight BotW rewrite) The being of darkness, the chosen hero, the regal princess. He had seen it all before. A neverending struggle that always placed Hyrule and its inhabitants in turmoil. Death and destruction awaited the unfortunate souls caught between the war waged by the Triforce's chosen, between dark and light. But this time, he had a plan. A plan to end the cycle forever.
1. Legends Foretold

"Hurry, sire! It's urgent!" The Hyrule guard ran swiftly ahead of the old man, leading him to the king's chambers. As fast as he could did the old man hobble along, his gnarled staff gripped firmly in his wrinkly hand. Many thoughts raced through his withered head as he was led along. It was not like Rhoam to house secrets from his oldest confidant. But then again, his counsel had been sought out less and less over the past generations. Now was hardly the time to dwell on the past. If Rhoam had sought him out in the dead of night, it surely was urgent. The guard rounded a corner and skid before the king's chambers, taking position to the right of the door. "In here, sire!" The old man nodded and hurried along. The door creaked open to reveal a dimly lit room occupied by three figures. One was a portly gentleman with a long dirty blond beard. None other than the king himself, Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule.

"Jynmael!" King Rhoam declared. The old man nodded and approached him, receiving a hearty pat on his shoulder. "You missed the birth by just a margin, I'm afraid." Jynmael stroked his thin beard in contemplation. For the first time in his long career as the royal historian had he lost track of time. Tentatively did he approach the bed, where the queen was draped in a holy gown. Like her husband, she had blonde hair, but hers was a flowing mane of almost glowing locks. To her side was a woman with tan skin, red eyes, and white hair. Despite her outwardly tough appearance, she tenderly cradled a bundle in her arms. Its soft cries and coos hung in the air, having settled down after the painstaking delivery.

"Well, Impa?" the queen asked. The woman nodded and smiled tenderly. Impa wiped her brow and the queen's with a damp rag. Often described as not only the toughest Sheikah in Hyrule but the toughed woman period, Impa felt great fear and worry as she acted as the queen's impromptu midwife. She was trained to command Hyrule's imperial guard, not deliver babies. Nevertheless, she worked tirelessly to serve the crown in any way she could. And tonight was a momentous occasion.

"Congratulations, your Highness. It's a girl." The queen inhaled in shock, her green eyes turned to face her husband. Rhoam approached her side and fell to his knee, wrapping an arm around her.

"A girl, Rhoam!" the queen said, eyes forming tears of great joy. "We have a daughter." Even the king of Hyrule himself could not fight the tears leaking from his eyes and wetting his beard.

"In the morning, we will make a declaration to the whole kingdom. A feast for all of Castle Town. A national holiday to be made. The birth of our baby girl." The king planted a kiss gingerly on his wife's forehead, leaning a head on her shoulder as the both of them looked at the bundle she cradled. Impa was fighting back tears as best she could. It would be most unbecoming to cry in front of the royal couple, especially with her position. Jynmael shuffled closer, the old dusty Hylian skulls tied to the tip of his staff by ropes rattling with each step. Rhoam chuckled and rose up from the bed. "Look more alive, Jynmael! Tis a joyous occasion!"

"Would you like to see her?" the queen asked. The old man nodded, and the queen lowered the cloth around the girl's head. Like her mother, she possessed blonde hair and green eyes. The baby yawned and cooed at Jynmael, which earned amused adoring laughs from her parents. She reached out and grabbed for him with stubby fingers. Underneath the shadow of his hooded robe did Jynmael analyze the girl. At first, she seemed rather unassuming, and his fears ultimately proved to be unfounded. But then he glimpsed it. On her right hand. Upon the skin did the mark of the Triforce appear, the left piece glowing. The piece of Wisdom. As he had suspected. Slowly did he withdraw, muttering under his breath.

"…This is truly a wondrous occasion, my king and queen," he uttered. "If you will excuse me, I must consult the records. It is time to begin chronicling."

"Oh, come now," the queen said while running a finger along her baby's cheek. "You're always down in your little study looking over those musty old tomes." Rhoam chuckled and patted his beloved's shoulder.

"You know he isn't happy unless his nose is stuck in a book," the king jested. "Even when I was a boy, he was reading." Jynmael shuffled for the door as swift as the frame he sported would allow him.

"Forgive me, my queen. But now is not the time for my hands to be idle." The queen sighed and shook her head before graciously accepting the flask of water Impa offered.

"Just don't stay up too late, Jynmael. You need your rest." The old man shook his head underneath his old tattered robe.

"You need not concern yourself with me, my queen," he dismissed. The guard saluted and closed the door behind Jynmael as he made his way down the stairs to his study. Frantically did he retrieve his notes and historical accounts of the legends of old. Of Hyrule's historia and the strife it had undergone throughout time.

 _The cycle has begun again,_ he thought to himself. _For the first time in nearly thousands of years has a princess been born. Which means the others cannot be far behind._ His eyes lifted up towards the stained glass rendition of the Triforce peering down at him. Soft rays of moonlight wafted into his study. _Soon, they will return, and the cycle will start anew. Hyrule will be in danger once more. How many will die again? How much destruction will it take before the gods are satisfied?!_ Jynmael licked his dried lips and narrowed his eyes at the Triforce. Its mere presence seemed to taunt him as images of Hyrule in strife plagued his mind. Of the Gerudo King of Thieves Lord Ganondorf Dragmire terrorizing the land. Or rather, the twisted abomination known as Calamity Ganon that he had become through his botched regeneration. Soon it would be upon him to train the princess and seek out the boy of legend to take up arms against the dread beast. With luck, they would defeat their eternal archnemesis like time before. But at what cost? Many would suffer and die under Calamity Ganon's return, even in a best case scenario. No matter the circumstances of war, the innocent will die at some point. Even the Triforce's chosen champions cannot stop death. Only try and protect the living. Incarnation after incarnation did this cycle repeat. _Why again? After thousands of years of peace, why again?!_ Fear clutched at the old man's heart, but hope was not lost. Not yet. Now presented the opportunity to enact the plan he had formulated over many years of study and observance. It would take many more years of work and planning, setting all the pieces in place. But Jynmael truly believed it would work. At last, he could end the cycle once and for all. End the tyranny of Ganon and his neverending quest for dominance of the complete Triforce. Though, the cost would no doubt be great. Perhaps even greater than what he was willing to pay. But time and repeated conflict had made him desperate. It had to be done, no matter the cost.

Tomorrow came, and all within Castle Town gathered. Cries of joy rang through the air as King Rhoam stood in attendance with his wife, Impa, and Jynmael to show their new daughter to the world. The heir to the throne and the first woman born into power in thousands of years.

Princess Zelda Hyrule.

* * *

 **Author's Note: In case you're worried, don't worry. This is not replacing nor taking priority over my other popular fanfic Phantom Stardust. I've been playing both P5 and BotW a lot lately and have been in an inspired mood with some unique ideas. I will do my best to update both pieces of work regularly.**


	2. A Warning

For the last six years had Jynmael worked at the king's behest to help raise young Zelda alongside her parents and her nursemaid Impa. Since her birth had the people of Hyrule been in even higher spirits than usual, the sun shining brighter and the breeze smelled fresher. All around the kingdom came to pay tribute to the king. Though, Jynmael never stopped looking towards the horizon while the others celebrated, knowing full well what was coming. Ganon would return once more, and repeated cycles had shown it to be unpredictable. Perhaps he would return when the princess was of age, perhaps when she was still a child. And he still had no luck finding the boy. All three pieces of the Triforce needed to be present for what he had in store. Otherwise, his efforts would be for naught, and the cycle would merely be set to repeat once more. For now, he could only resolve to help raise Zelda. A notion he would have enjoyed more had King Rhoam continuously interrupted his attempts to lecture her on the mythology oh Hyrule. Dismissed as mere fairy tales and folklore. Never had Jynmael been so thoroughly insulted by mortal words than to be told to focus on more "practical" ventures. Rhoam's attitude had been indicative of a much larger problem that had become more prevalent in the royal family as generations had gone on. Many years ago, he was a respected member of the king's counsel. The kings of the past had regarded him with reverence and wisdom. Now he was regarded as a mere old man with a jumbled mind, unable to distinct Hyrule's history from the legends he had clung to for years. Kept around for his skill in the written word and for his loyalty to the crown. Ten thousand years of peace had softened the royal line. The peace from Ganon's tyranny proved to be a mixed blessing. But Jynmael would not be deterred by the king's words. The fate of Hyrule depended on his actions, and he could not succeed without Rhoam's cooperation.

The doors to the royal throne room parted open with a thud, the thick heavy oak doors almost as old as Jynmael was. Rhoam looked up from his papers and sighed softly at the sight of the old man lumbering in. His wife patted his shoulder and nodded for him to be respectful. Though not of the royal bloodline, the queen had always been much more courteous to him than Rhoam was. Even if she found his prophecies and legends to be mere tales. Impa was absent, instead taking it upon herself to watch Princess Zelda while the girl played in the garden. Jynmael took a knee before the king and shakily rose to his feet.

"Your majesty, I wish to discuss with you about the princess' destiny…" King Rhoam closed his eyes and sighed, leaning into his hand.

"Here we go," he muttered under his breath. Jynmael's insistence on the matter was growing more and more bothersome as Zelda grew older. The queen gently placed a hand on his shoulder, the feeling of her satin clad touch soothing the monarch.

"Have patience, my dear. Let him get it out of his system and just be calm." King Rhoam sighed and slowly nodded. Though he expected Jynmael to be back again with the same ravings.

"Speak your mind," he ordered. The old scholar cleared his throat and leaned on his macabre staff for support.

"I request the official aid of your soldiers to assist in the search for the legendary hero. Wielder of the Triforce of Courage himself. My progress on my own has been miniscule, and I fear that time slips through our fingers." King Rhoam shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing gruffly through his nose.

"I will not send my best men on a search for mere fairy tales, Jynmael. I have made this abundantly clear before." The old scholar's grip tightened around his staff at the king's impertinence. "The Yiga Clan is of greater concern to me than your legends."

"Let Impa deal with them," Jynmael said disdainfully, brashly flicking his wrist. "Your guards would be better suited to finding Hyrule's chosen champion rather than chasing about masked vagabonds. Her safety depends on it."

"This _is_ for her safety," King Rhoam huffed. "The Yiga Clan concerns us all equally. Considering their apparent allegiance to Calamity Ganon, I figured you would take a greater interest in them." The renegade Sheikah had concerned Jynmael for some time, but their sleight of hands and martial artistry meant little to one of his magical prowess. Until Ganon's power was made manifest, the Yiga Clan's supposed connection to him was mere conjecture.

"My King, we cannot ignore the circumstances set before us. Princess Zelda is the first woman born into the family line in ten thousand years! Calamity Ganon is no doubt set to return anew, and the cycle of old will begin again!"

"I will not allow you to drag my daughter into your inane doomsday prophecies," King Rhoam stated, slamming a fist onto the armrest of his throne. It took all of his patience not to just cast the old man out right then and there. Though he had to admit that there was a certain uneasiness to the idea that now of all times was a woman born into the family line. True, the Hyrule bloodline had been a male one for ten thousand years exclusively. But it was a far cry to expect trouble to show its face now, of all times. He had listened to the tales Jynmael spoke of when he was a boy. Of the cycle of the Triforce and its chosen. But never had there been a gap of nearly a dozen millennia before. "And I cannot donate my forces to cove the lands for a boy we don't even know actually exists." He sighed and nursed his brow. For his wife's sake was he maintaining composure. Which Jynmael was whittling down all the time. As much as he disregarded his ramblings and theories, King Rhoam still did care for him. He was like family, having served him, his father, and his father before him going farther back than can be feasibly reasoned. At times, he wondered if he truly was immortal, like his father jested. But he was old. Incredibly old. Even in old photographs, he was old. With age does the mind begin to wander and even degrade. Perhaps it was time to order him to retire. King Rhoam put the thought out of his head and rose to his feet, pointing at the ceiling. A stained-glass rendition of the Triforce loomed over them like it did in Jynmael's quarters. "If there is truly a great danger upon the horizon as you say, then may it shatter this glass roof and make itself known right here and now!"

"Be mindful of what you ask for!" Jynmael warned, pointing a gnarled finger at him. "Do not tempt fate." A rather poor choice of words it would prove to be as a bolt of lightning did just that. The stained-glass ceiling shattered, the sheer force of the impact causing part of the roof to collapse. The king escorted his queen to safety as the rubble around them began to tumble. The floor shook with from a thunderclap, and dust from the stonework began to rise as the architecture crumbled. Coughs and pained shouts echoed through the wall as the guards took up positions around the room. King Rhoam clutched his injured side, a sharp pain shooting out through it. No doubt he had broken a few ribs. But what most concerned him was his wife. She was nowhere to be seen. Desperately did he start calling her name out before a throwing dart whizzed past his head and planted itself into the stone before him. Blood trickled dow his ear from the blade grazing it.

"For the glory of Calamity Ganon!" King Rhoam turned to see a handful of Yiga Clan assassins repelling through the hole from ropes. Purple and red smoke billowed in the center, its presence setting fire to the carpet that led out of the room. His royal guard surrounded Rhoam, shields presented and swords bared.

"Get to safety, my Lord!" one said. "We'll hold them off!" With a mighty shout did the two forces engage in combat. The clanging of metal and the shouts of war echoed within the king's own throne room. A notion he never believed would come to pass. Two guards backed away to escort Rhoam to the door while their comrades fended off the assassins. Impa had trained her loyal guardsmen well, creating a combat style that accommodated both Hylian and Sheikah techniques. Even with all their training, the Sheikah traitors proved to be on the losing side of this invasion. The Yiga assassins could draw no quarter, at least until the interference of the miasma festering behind them. A smoky tendril emerged and swatted the guards away like flies. It seemed to growl menacingly as it bared its tip at King Rhoam's direction. He would have met his end right then and there had it not been for Jynmael. From the eye sockets of the skulls tied to his staff did bolts of lightning emerge, singing the miasmic entity. Despite the smoke that billowed from it, the being seemed to feel no pain. It withdrew through the hole in the roof as swiftly as it had arrived, dissipating in the sky like fog. The Yiga assassins turned their gaze upward and cried in protest. The dark being they had sworn to had ultimately abandoned them. And they would be given no chance to retreat as the guards quickly dispatched them in their moment of need. Blood had fallen upon the floor of Hyrule Castle for the first time in thousands of years. "My Lord! Are you alright?" The king said nothing, merely staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the burnt carpet before looking up to the ceiling. Jynmael hobbled over to the scorched floor, prodding at it with his staff. His mouth hung open in thought from underneath his hood.

"By no means is this their natural magic," he muttered. King Rhoam ventured to his side and observed, feeling a cold sweat manifest down his back.

"Calamity Ganon…" Jynmael nodded. It seemed Rhoam had gotten what he asked for, and Jynmael the proof he needed. "I don't get it. Why not finish us if it were he?"

"This was not meant to be an assassination, regardless of the Yiga Clan's involvement," Jynmael noted. He stroked his withered thinning beard. "But rather a warning. Of his dark return." For the first time in his life did the king know true fear. Their everlasting piece had now been brought down around their ears. And the one he had written off as a madman was actually right all along. His thoughts swiftly darted to his darling daughter. In Impa's care she was no doubt safe, but he knew not how many more Yiga assassins were in the castle.

"My Lord!" Rhoam and Jynmael turned to bear witness to a horrible sight. The dust from the rubble had cleared, and the air was now breathable once more. Though Rhoam felt all of it leave his chest as though he had been struck from seeing his wife. Between heavy stones was she pinned beneath, a single arm dangling through an opening. Blood trickled down and soaked her satin gloves. The royal guard were digging her out as swiftly as they could, but it mattered not. It did not take Jynmael's magic to tell him she was gone. The king fell to his knees, vision spinning and hands growing clammy. In the blink of an eye had his entire world been turned upside down. He leaned forward as his arms trembled beneath him. Utterly nauseous did he feel. The kingdom's sworn enemy had returned, and the love of his life was killed before he had a chance to react. The doors at the other end of the hall burst open to reveal Impa in attendance with a dozen armed guards and little Zelda to her side. The Sheikah's red eyes widened as she took sight of the mangled corpse being lifted from the rubble. King Rhoam would remember the look of pain on his daughter's face as she recognized who was there before her.

"Don't look!" Impa cried, pulling the princess in. Jynmael clutched his chest and shook his head, knees struggling to hold him up as grief weighed him down. He had wanted to show the king he was right, but not like this. Not like this.

"Jynmael…" The old scholar looked to the king whose blood had run pale. He swore he could see the beard losing its color right before his fading eyes. King Rhoam took hold of his forearm and pulled him in. "Find this boy… so that we can stop this. Protect our home…" The words Jynmael had wanted to hear for so long were bittersweet. The validation reviled him in that moment, the taste at the back of his throat disgusting him at what it had cost to obtain. Even before Calamity Ganon's true return had a victim been claimed. He cursed under his breath, at Ganon and his own struggles. But now he knew the truth. And he would have the king's full support. Now he could do what had to be done to stop this cycle and save Hyrule forever.

The funeral for the queen was more painful than anyone could have imagined. Thousands from all over Hyrule came to pay tribute to the fallen monarch. Always had she been kind and gentle, caring and noble. It took Impa all her strength not to let the tears fall. But she had to remain strong. For the troops, for her king, and for Zelda. Zelda surprised the lot of them most of all. King Rhoam would not have thought little of her remotely had she broken down. But the six-year-old girl remained stoic as Jynmael read the queen her last rites before laying her down for eternal rest. Perhaps it had not fully set in yet. Or perhaps she was remaining composed for the sake of the crown's dignity. But it would set the stage for the rest of her life as she would have to mature quickly to take on her mother's duties. Her smiles and laughs were now gone. Replaced by an empty detachment from the world. After the funeral, Zelda began pouring herself into the books and the power of prayer. Her pilgrimage to the town's church, the springs throughout Hyrule, and even the forgotten Temple of Time drove her forward. Zelda dedicated all her time to studying under Jynmael, listening to him recite the tales of old for any advantage against Calamity Ganon. Committing them to memory and even reciting them back to the old scholar. All the while, Jynmael was given the aid of both Hyrule's top couriers and the Sheikah scouts to comb the land for the boy. The one who would seal the shadows and protect Hyrule as foretold in tales of old. One of humble upbringing and of kind heart. The wielder of the Triforce of Courage himself.

The major Link in his plan to save them all.


End file.
